Lauren: YOU CAN CHECK THE RADAR BY GOING TO OUR WEBSITE, CLICKONDETROIT.COM, AND CLICK THE WEATHER TAB. WE MAY BE IN FOR A WHITE CHRISTMAS, BUT MANY IN OUR AREA WOULD SETTLE FOR A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS BECAUSE THEY NEED POWER. Evrod: THEY'RE FACING THE PROSPECT OF CHRISTMAS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY. RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE 90,000 DTE CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. THAT ACTUALLY INCLUDES 36,000 IN OAKLAND AND LAPEER COUNTIES, 3,000 IN LIVINGSTON COUNTY AND HOPE TO HAVE 90% OF THE CUSTOMERS PLUGGED BACK IN BY TOMORROW NIGHT. CREWS ARE BEING CALLED IN FROM WEST VIRGINIA, INDIANA, OHIO, AND AS FAR AWAY AS GEORGIA TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS. LOCAL 4'S HANK WINCHESTER JOINS US LIVE FROM NORTHERN OAKLAND COUNTY AND YOU'VE MET PEOPLE WHO WOULD ALMOST RATHER SEE A DTE TRUCK THAN SANTA'S SLEIGH. Hank: YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE'RE HERE NEAR THE LAPEER COUNTY LINE AND HERE THE BIG ISSUE AND THE MAIN PROBLEM OF THE DAY, IT'S THE FALLING TREE BRANCHES. I MEAN, TAKE A LOOK. THEY'RE HEAVY. WHEN THEY COME CRASHING DOWN, AND UNFORTUNATELY THEY'RE BRINGING TREE LIMBS DOWN. AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THE TREES AND THE POWER LINES, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL COVERED WITH A THICK COATING OF ICE, WHICH MEANS ONCE THE LINES HIT THE GROUND, THAT MEANS LIGHTS OUT! LOCAL 4 CAMERAS ARE THERE AS DTE CREWS WORKED TO REPAIR ANOTHER BIG PROBLEM. THIS ONE UNFOLDING TODAY HERE IN SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP. PEOPLE IN THIS AREA HAVE BEEN WITHOUT POWER FOR ABOUT 24 HOURS AND MAY REMAIN IN THE DARK FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS P. WE'RE UP ON DAY NUMBER TWO. AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE POWER. Hank: HOLIDAY PLANS NOW BEING CHANGED. FOOD BEING PITCHED. THE PURCHASE TODAY, A GENERATOR. AS I LOOK AROUND AT ALL THE WIRES, YOU CAN IMAGINE THE NEXT BIG STORM WE GET, IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. Hank: THE PROBLEM IS THE ICE COVERING POWER LINES ACROSS NORTHERN OAKLAND COUNTY, BRINGING DOWN TREE BRANCHES AND CAUSING WIDESPREAD OUTAGES. A LOT OF SPANS OF WIRE DOWN. YOU'RE SEEING IT HERE IN THE NORTHERN OAKLAND COUNTY AREAS AND HEAVILY IN THE LAPEER AREA. Hank: WORKERS FROM AS FAR AS GEORGIA HERE ON THE GROUND IN METRO DETROIT, BUT PATIENCE IS KEY. SO WE HAVE ABOUT 600 LINEMEN WORKING ON THE PROPERTY, AND A LOT OF THEIR FAMILIES ARE WITHOUT POWER RIGHT NOW. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE LINEMEN AND THE WORK THEY'RE DOING IN THESE CONDITIONS. Hank: BACK OUT HERE LIVE. TAKE A LOOK AT THE ICE ON THE TREE BRANCHES. THEY ARE COATED! THIS IS THICK ICE, AND THIS IS THE SAME ICE THAT MANY CREWS ARE FINDING UP THERE ON POWER LINES. THE LINES JUST CAN'T HANDLE IT. SO ONCE THEY HAVE A COATING LIKE THIS AND BECAUSE THINGS AREN'T HEATING UP AND TEMPERATURES ARE REMAINING COLD, LINES ARE SNAPPING ALL OVER METRO DETROIT. SO TODAY ALONE THEY PICKED UP ABOUT 9,000 MORE CUSTOMERS NOW WITHOUT POWER AND HOPE TO HAVE EVERYBODY RESTORED IN THE NEXT 24-48 HOURS. THE MAIN ISSUE THEY'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW AND WILL CONTINUE TO

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